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In July 2005, San Francisco’s steep streets became the stage for one of the most memorable TV commercials ever filmed. Commissioned as a British ad for Sony’s Bravia television sets, the spectacle saw 250,000 colorful bouncy balls unleashed down the city’s hills, captured entirely on camera with no CGI. The result? A visually stunning, award-winning commercial that has since racked up millions of YouTube views and secured its place in advertising history.
The ad’s concept came from creative director Juan Cabral of British agency Fallon, built around the slogan “Colour like no other.” Danish director Nicolai Fuglsig imagined “millions of balls arriving in a city, millions leaving a city,” eventually settling on bouncy balls as the perfect medium. San Francisco, with its iconic hills and cinematic pedigree, was the obvious choice.
Getting there, however, was no small feat. Location scout Patrick Ranahan had to convince city officials and residents to allow such a disruptive shoot. Permits were secured with promises to repair any damage “ten times better” than before. The crew bought every bouncy ball west of the Mississippi—leaving toy machines empty for months—and devised an elaborate launch system. Special effects expert Barry Conner built truck-mounted cannons to propel the balls, carefully calculating angles and pressures to maximize bounce without destroying them.
On the first day of shooting, Filbert and Hyde streets became a playground for chaos. The roar of the cannons filled the air as tens of thousands of balls cascaded downhill, colliding, ricocheting, and even bouncing over Victorian rooftops. The slow-motion footage—nicknamed “the aquarium of mayhem”—captured a mesmerizing dance of colors. But beauty came with destruction: broken car lights, chipped siding, shredded foliage, and $74,000 in window repairs.
City patience wore thin. After a few days, the San Francisco Film Commission banned the mortar system, forcing the crew to improvise with forklift-dropped containers of balls. Despite the headaches, neighborhood spectators were captivated, with some even helping to collect stray balls. Many residents kept them as souvenirs—some still turn up in gutters and garage sales to this day.
The ad’s soundtrack, José González’s haunting cover of “Heartbeats,” became a hit in its own right, amassing hundreds of millions of streams. The commercial premiered in the UK during a major soccer match between Manchester United and Chelsea, cementing Sony Bravia’s brand dominance.
Two decades later, the “bouncy ball ad” remains a benchmark in live-action advertising—a daring blend of artistry, engineering, and San Francisco charm. As Ranahan put it, echoing the city’s spirit: “It’s a city that says ‘yes’ and can do it.”
